Endicott College Wins Division III Title

A great season in the ECRHA, culminating in the ECRHA Division III Conference Championship, led into the National Championship in Rochester. Endicott went undefeated in pool play, relatively unchallenged, then walked through the brackets with 2 7-0 wins and a 10-2 win against Cal Poly Pomona in the semifinals. They almost met their match in the University of California Berkeley Golden Bears in the final. The Cal team had a rougher road, but got their losses out of their system early in the tournament, and peaked at the right time. Cal dropped 2 of their 3 round robin games, coming out as the #3 seed in their pool. They went on to defeat Hofstra 6-1, Maryville 5-4, and in the semifinal Oswego 3-1, in a rematch of their first round robin game.

Surprisingly to most in attendance, it was Cal getting on the board first, on a power play goal from Delfino Varela midway through the 1st period. Endicott’s Cam Bleck tied it up late in the 1st, making it 1-1 going into the 1st intermission. Again the score would be tied in the 2nd intermission, with Endicott scoring back-to-back goals in the first half of the 2nd, and Cal scoring likewise in the second half of the 2nd period. 10 ½ minutes of the 3rd period were scoreless, with chances traded, but Endicott outshooting Cal 2 to 1. Endicott’s Jonathan Waring broke the silence with just 1:28 remaining in the game for the eventual game-winner, while teammate Matt Kaski scored 41 seconds later to close it out and take the 5-3 win for the Division III championship.